A machine is a well-known tool for performing a grinding operation or turning operation on a work-piece. The machine comprises a motor for rotating a spindle which is connected to a work-piece holder holding the work-piece. The grinding or turning operation is typically performed using a grinding tool which is mounted on a tool post. The tool post maneuvers the grinding tool relative to the work-piece, which during operation typically rotates. During operation, the grinding tool cuts into the work-piece via a helical path for shaping the work-piece.
The machine is often used in a model shop to generate customized work-pieces, such as generating customized inner rings and/or outer rings for bearings. However, the grinding process is relatively expensive and time consuming and typically only results in rotational symmetrical solutions. To produce a real customized work-piece, also other manufacturing processes are available in such model shop.
One of these additional manufacturing processes may, for example, be an additive manufacturing or more commonly called 3D printing. Also this process is a relatively well known production technique in which a three-dimensional solid object is generated from a digital model. The process of additive manufacturing starts with generating the digital model via any known digital modeling methods, such as using a CAD program. Next, the digital model is divided into slices in which each slice indicates for this layer of the digital model where the printed material should be located. The individual slices are sequentially fed into an additive manufacturing tool or 3D printer which deposits the material according to the individual slices and as such generates the complete three-dimensional solid object layer by layer.
In the early days of additive manufacturing, mainly plastic materials or resins have been used as printed material for generating the three-dimensional solid object, but other processes have been developed in which also other materials, including different types of metal may be deposited in layers using this additive manufacturing technique. A major benefit of this manufacturing technique is that it allows the designer to produce virtually any three-dimensional object in a relatively simple production method. This may be especially beneficial when, for example, an initial model is required of a product—such as it is done in a model shop—or when only a limited number of products are required.
The use of additive manufacturing in a model shop, for example, to produce bearings is expanding which poses additional challenges to maintain the high accuracy required for bearings.